Technology and the Rise of the Networked City in Europe and America

edited by Joel A. Tarr and Gabriel Dupuy

It is only within the last decade that historians have begun to pay serious attention to technology’s vital role in shaping the urban environment. Between approximately 1850 and 1930, cities in the industrialized world constructed a series of systems or networks to distribute water, wastewater, vehicles, energy, messages, and people. This collection of essays comprises the first book to trace the history and development of technological systems in European and American cities from the middle of the nineteenth century through World War II.

Contents

Part I: Transportation1. Comparative Perspectives on Transit in Europe and the United States, 1850-1914  John P. McKay
2. Street Transport in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century: Mechanization Delayed?  Anthony Sutcliffe
3. Economic Aspects of Public Transit in the Parisian Area, 1855-1939  Dominique Larroque
4. Urban Pathways: The Street and Highway, 1900-1940  Clay McShane

Part II: Water Systems5. The Genesis of Water Supply, Distribution, and Sewerage Systems in France, 1800-1850  André Guillerme
6. The Development of Water and Sewerage Systems in France, 1850-1950  Jean-Pierre Goubert
7. Fire and Disease: The Development of Water Supply Systems in New England, 1870-1900  Letty Anderson

Part III: Waste Disposal8. Sewerage and the Development of the Networked City in the United States, 1850-1930  Joel A. Tarr
9. Historical Origins and Development of a Sewerage System in a German City: Bielefeld, 1850-1904  Georges Knaebel
10. Technology Diffusion and Refuse Disposal: The Case of the British Destructor  Martin V. Melost

Part V: Communication15. Cities and Communication: The Limits of Community  Seymour J. Mandelbaum
16. Telephone Networks in France and Great Britain  Chantal de Gournay

About the Author(s)

Joel A. Tarr is Professor of History and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.

Gabriel Dupuy is a Professor at the Institut d'Urbanisme de Paris, University of Paris, and Chairman of the Transportation, Environment, and Urban Planning Department, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussés.